Lots of Changes!

So I have decided to close my shop on Artfire as well as the shop on Goodsmiths.  Once my year runs out on Zibbet, unless things drastically improve, I will be closing that as well.  I will be keeping a minimal presence on Etsy, mostly because I belong to a great group there and have some really good friends that I interact with daily, not because I am fond of what Etsy has become.  I will be concentrating on just my two stand alone sites, SilverRiverJewelry.com and SilverRiverGlass.com.  I am working on moving all of my inventory over to those two site.  Both sites take Paypal and I still accept Propay, so if you want to pay me directly via credit card you can message me and I will send an invoice.  I am actually really excited about this, as I will no longer be pulled in 8 different directions and will be able to concentrate totally on marketing just one shop for the jewelry and one shop for the beads.

I am also selling beads with a group on Facebook called Lampwork Beads For Sale.  It is a closed group, you do have to be a member to buy (or sell).  However, all you have to do is request membership to join.  Its a great group of people and there are beautiful beads by a lot of different lampworkers of all skill levels.  Come check us out!


The sister group to that group is Lampwork Beads In Action which is a group dedicated to selling things made from the beads from Lampwork Beads For Sale.  Since I make both I sell in both lol.  This is also a closed group, same thing, just ask to join if you love jewelry using lampwork that is artisan made.

Gorgeous Set of Summer Lampwork!

I have lampwork beads for you today!  This stunning set of lime green and white glass lampwork beads are perfect for summer designs.  They bring to mind bright summer flowers, icy tropical drinks,  long days on the beach in the sun!  I only have one set of these which you can purchase here.  If you prefer to shop on Etsy you can follow this link instead.

My Glass Stash

I'm almost embarrassed to say that this is just a portion of my glass stash.  This particular rack has 104 coe Effetre Moretti, Vetrofond and Cim and are organized (kind of) by color family.  I have three more shelves of glass, one that has boro and 90 coe, one shelf that has 104 coe Devardi glass, and one that has odds and ends and the silver and specialty glasses.  Honestly, I could look at my glass all day long lol.  It truly is just a fun medium to work in and the color ranges are incredible.

I Love What I Do!

You know, every time I think I can't enjoy what I do any more than I already do, I sit down at the torch and realize that yes, I can enjoy it more lol.  Part of the joy of  making lampwork beads for me is that I find it very relaxing, it takes me to a different place and all of my energy is directed at the torch and watching how the glass flows and figuring out how to make it do what I want it to do.  Its that place where time kind of stops because you are so IN the moment.  Helps me keep my sanity lol!  As always if you would like to purchase this pretty set of periwinkle blue etched beads, simply click on the picture.

Artisan Feature

Well I am finally back to posting on my blog. I have missed doing it but the holidays were so completely crazy I couldn't squeeze out spare moment.

I am going to do a little bit more on the artisan features this year, I have come across some really great shops. I am also going to feature some pieces from other artisans that are using my lampwork beads in their work. On that note, here is the first one. This piece was made by Exquisite Studios and can be found here. She took one of my lentils and paired it with a hammered circle made by AlishaWhite. I think they look beautiful together and am excited to see how my beads are used in other peoples creations. And not only does ExquisiteStudios make some really beautiful jewelry, she makes also makes the most beautiful candle holders. Go check out her shop, her jewelry is elegant and romantic and well worth a good look!

Check out this great contest!

The Fire Divas are hosting an Introductory Jewelry Challenge! This challenge will be for jewelry designers who use artisan lampwork in their pieces. The winner of the Challenge will receive a beautiful group of Fire Divas' work. This is a wonderful chance for jewelry designers to show off their talents and get exposure!

Please click on the link below to get all the details & to enter: We love to see how designers use our creations, though for this 1st challenge, ANY artisan lampwwork beads will do as long as they're handmade.

http://firedivas.blogspot.com/2009/11/calling-all-desingers-introductory.html

My Favorite Etsy Artists

I will be writing some short notes on some of my favorite artists on etsy.com once a week. Etsy is an online marketplace for handrafted items. It is NOT and auction site and everything except for the supplies and vintage section are hand made. They have some fabulous artists on this site and I will writing about some of them regularly. I have added four to my list of links today.

CassaroCreations.

She makes some truly awesome lamp work beads.As you
can see from this example the detail work on her beads make them trueworks of art. I am looking forward to making some purchases from her shop soon!


GlitterCritter


Please check out her awesome wire work at her other shop on http://www.wireworks.etsy.com/


I know her best thru her glittercritter shop (see below) but I am totally blown away by the the creativity and the amount of time it must have taken to perfect this kind of technique. I do a little bit of wire wrapping myself but am just a beginner. Examples like this inspire me to work harder an keep practicing so that some day I too will have work that is this awesome.

She has some beautiful supplies and sells some really cool do-it-yourself tutorials for the beginning wire worker. These can be found in her glittercritter shop. I highly recommend that any one who is thinking about learning to wrap wire or just wants to see what it is like to make something with this technique, to purchase one of her tutorials. Also, she has always been very willing to help out all of the newbies on site with their questions for which I, for one, am grateful. Her prices are great on her supplies and I am hoping to snag the one in the picture when my self imposed "you can't buy any more supplies til you use some of what you have" is done.

Jadelaine Designs

Beautiful photographs and prints. She also has some outstanding

original artwork. Definately worth taking the time to check out! I look forward to seeing more from her in the future.






StonesInMotion

Ed makes the most beautiful cabachons from raw rock. This is something that I am also learning to do so I know how many hours of sawing and shaping and grinding and polishing this really takes! Each stone is unique and whether it is a subtle pattern or a bold explosion of color, it always amazes me that something as common as a rock can be turned into something so beautiful.


Well that is my list of favorites this week. Look for a new list once a week from now until whenever I run out of great artists to feature. (Don't count on that happening any time soon, last time I checked there were over 80,000 sellers on etsy, most of whom do lovely work)